Retrieving Songs from Broken Computer

Question

Retrieving Songs from Broken Computer

Hi,
We purchased and downloaded songs on another computer when we first started using our ipod & itunes. Since then, we have purchased a new laptop and use that exclusively because the other computer does not work.

We are using the same itunes account, and authorized the new computer - but there are songs we downloaded on the original (now broken)computer that we would like to access. They are not appearing in our library and we get messages that say you can only download songs once.

Can you tell me if its possible to somehow access these? Again - while we are using the same account, the original songs we downloaded are not appearing at all.

Thanks.

HP Pavillion Entertainment PC dv2000 Windows XP

Posted on Mar 3, 2007 7:03 AM

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Answer 1

GlennW

Level 3

630 points

Mar 3, 2007 11:32 AM in response to JeannieMcNichols

Well, that depends. The easiest way to get the songs onto your new computer would be to upload them from your iPod, if they're still there. With iTunes 7 you can now use your iPod to move purchased music from one computer to another.

If you no longer have the songs on your iPod, whether you can recover them depends on how "broken" your old computer is. If you can still access the disk drive on the old computer you can copy the songs from it to your new computer. If that system is totally dead you'll have to remove the hard drive, put it into an external USB enclosure (you can buy those at most computer stores, who can probably put the drive into the enclosure for you as well, for a fee), and connect it to your laptop. Then you should be able to copy the files into your new iTunes library.

If you don't have the songs on your iPod and you can't access your old disk drive, you're out of luck. Technically there are companies that may be able to retrieve data from a "dead" disk drive, but unless you have thousands of purchased songs it would almost certainly be cheaper just to buy them again.

In any case, take this as a life lesson to back up your songs regularly so you won't lose them again.

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